56 FARMING ON FACTORY LINES 



in order to clean land and to make it fit for the 

 growing of a good wheat crop, to leave it idle 

 throughout an entire year. 



TO FERTILISE THE LAND 



Lord Townshend introduced a root crop — turnips 

 after wheat — in place of the fallow. This crop was 

 eaten in situ, so that the manure resulting from the 

 consumption of the crop might fertilise the land for 

 the next crop, and the treading of the animals con- 

 solidate the soil and improve it as a seed bed. 

 Turnips were followed by a crop of barley, then 

 grass seeds and clover were sown, part of which 

 latter crop, in the fourth year of the rotation, was 

 also eaten on the land, in order to fertilise it for 

 the succeeding crop of wheat. 



Lord Townshend, probably helped by his Parlia- 

 mentary experience, argued so forcibly in favour of 

 turnip-growing on his lines that he earned the name 

 of '■' Turnip Townshend." It is interesting and 

 encouraging to other agricultural pioneers to note 

 that in spite of the social position which Lord 

 Townshend occupied, and his forcible advocacy of 

 the new system, there were for years very few people 

 who followed his example. Anyhow he persevered, 

 and the utility of his system, compared with the old 

 fallowing system, was finally recognised, and in time 

 universally adopted. 



HIGH PRICES ASSURED 



At the time of the introduction of the Townshend 

 system, or, as it is popularly known, the Norfolk 

 system, social conditions were entirely different from 



